Echoes of Regret
by Kittysprite
Summary: Tragedies befall the forest, and LightningClan is struggling to survive. Spottedflare must keep her Clan going, even if that means lying, fighting unjust battles, and wavering her faith in love.


Sunshine shone through the slight cracks of the den roof. Bird song carried into the tight space by a clear morning breeze, stirring the fur of the many shapes asleep in their nests. After a moment, a leopard-spotted gray she-cat opened her eyes and blinked drowsily before she rose from her nest, shaking some scraps of bracken of her pelt and stretching, extending her claws until they ached. Her movements disturbed another shape lying next to her. A tortoiseshell head lifted from the mass of bodies curled up in the den. Looking over at her friend, the tortoiseshell's amber eyes glowed with concern.

"Hey, you okay?" she mewed, sitting up slowly. Her tail accidently brushed another cat's face, making them stir. She froze, knowing that the coming conversation would not be one that her friend would want to be made in public. When the stirring died down, she continued. "You've been really quiet recently."

The first cat flicked her ears. She froze for a moment, formulating a response, before turning her head to face her friend, putting on her usual mask of happiness. "Yeah, I'm fine, Petalstream, why wouldn't I be?"

"Maybe because you haven't talked to me at all since after the… accident." she pursued, making the first cat wince.

"I… just wasn't feeling that good, but I'm fine now." the spotted she-cat added hastily, seeing her friend's concern grow. Petalstream didn't seem convinced.

"We both know that's a lie, Spottedflare. You've been acting different ever since, and I'm worried –"

"Well, there's no need for you to be! I'm perfectly fine!" Spottedflare meowed harshly, golden eyes ablaze. Seeing her friend flinch, she quieted down and mewed softly, "I'm happy you care, but there's really nothing to be worried about. I'm fine really. I wouldn't keep anything from you; you are my sister after all."

"Well, I just want you to know that whatever happens, I'm here for you. You can tell me anything. After all, they were my parents too."

Spottedflare exhaled slowly, nodding. "I know, I know. But I really am fine, there's no need for you to worry."

She could tell that Petalstream still wasn't convinced, but she let the subject drop, for the time being. Her sister sighed deeply, but nodded all the same. Spottedflare purred and pressed her muzzle against her sister's side before straightening up and padding out of the den. With a shake of her head, Petalstream followed her into the morning sunshine.

The air was fresh and the camp was calm and peaceful. It seems that even the kits were too relaxed to get into any mischief. Spottedflare could see the tension disappear from her sister's shoulders as the early morning atmosphere relieved her of her worries for a few moments.

They sat and shared tongues as the camp slowly came to life. Cats crawled out of their dens and shook their ruffled fur, padding into camps to share greetings, the peaceful air enlightening their moods. They watched as a golden queen, Stormwing, padded out of the nursery, two kits tumbling after her, locked in a play-fight. Their mother stopped to exchange words with another queen basking in the early sunshine, her expecting belly round.

"So, did we have any duties?" Spottedflare asked, head tilting up, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her fur. Petalstream shook her head, too relaxed to talk.

Spottedflare stood after a few moments, disturbing her sister's calmness. Petalstream blinked open her eyes before stretching. "What is it?"

"Let's go hunting, lazy-bones. This sunlight will probably have lured out some prey."

Spottedflare turned to the entrance before looking back over her shoulder, beckoning with her tail. With a small sigh, Petalstream got to her paws and padded after her sister.

Emerging from the other side, the sisters paused to bask in the cool breeze by the reeds. The rich flavours flooded her jaws as she opened them to taste the air. They padded towards their secret fishing place, a small cave hidden in the side of a cliff by an overhang of lichen. The cliff bordered the ShadowClan border, so they had to be extra careful not to be caught. The scent of fish flooded her senses and she angled her ears towards the small pond in the middle of the sandy cave floor. Petalstream nodded, sliding her claws out.

Together they padded up to the water's side, their reflections gazing back at them, broken by the ripples of the fish swimming along in the midst. Flashes of silver and gold shone in the sunlight flooding from the cave entrance, their reflections dancing on the cave walls.

As soon as the fish started swimming towards them, Spottedflare unsheathed her claws and crouched still, waiting. Then, with a lightning quick movement, hooked a golden fish straight out of the water. It plopped down onto the sand, its movements stilling with a bite aimed for its head. A second fish quickly followed suit, its silver color contrasting against the gold of the first.

The sisters were famous for the gold fish that they caught, because no cat had ever seen any before. No cat in RiverClan, other than them, knew where these fish were caught. That is the reason they call this their 'secret place'. It was somewhere that they could relax and talk without the fear of being overheard or disturbed.

After a while, they had a nicely sized pile full of silver and gold fish. A streak of guilt shot through Spottedflare for not letting their Clan know that there was a cave that was teeming with fresh-kill, right in their territory. However, this place was sacred to them, as their parents died fending off a dog that got too close to the cliff side. Ever since, they became the only ones who knew about this place.

With one last look, the sisters carried their fresh-kill back to camp.

As they emerged into the camp, a sudden grim feeling made chills run down Spottedflare's spine. They padded to the fresh-kill pile and dropped their prey, admiring their work. It wasn't until she looked around the camp did Spottedflare realize what was so unsettling. An eerie silence settled around them as they took in what they were seeing. Or rather, what they didn't see.

The camp was deserted.

"Where do you suppose they went?" Spottedflare asked, desperation apparent in her mew.

They had been searching frantically for a while with no trace and ended up back at the camp.

Suddenly, a mass of fur and glinting claws leapt out from the medicine cat's den and landed on Petalstream's back. With a startled yelp, they dissolved into a mass of whirling fur and claws.

Getting over the shock, Spottedflare launched herself onto the attacker. She tore at the cat's tail, earning a screech of pain. Petalstream had flung herself onto the cat's back, clinging on like a burr. Thrashing around, the intruder flung the sisters off.

Spottedflare landed heavily, her muzzle stinging from the heavy blows landed by the attacker. Petalstream landed next to her, shoulder bleeding from a few shallow scratches. Spottedflare noticed the cat tense, muscles rippling under the familiar gray pelt and gray eyes blazing. Gray…

Wait!

"Lightfeather?" Spottedflare asked, her mew hopeful. The stranger tensed then relaxed, looking up.

"Spottedflare? And Petalstream, too! Where were you? Stormstar has already sent out multiple search parties for you two! What were you doing?" the medicine cat demanded.

"We were out hunting from morning up until sun-high, and when we came back, the camp was deserted!" Petalstream explained, tail flicking towards the freshly killed fish set on top of the fresh-kill pile.

Lightfeather nodded tersely and beckoned with her tail. "Come on, let's not linger. They'll be back soon."

Taking as much fresh-kill as they could carry, the three cats set off into the territory, Lightfeather warning the sisters to step lightly and make the least amount of noise possible. When Spottedflare questioned it, Lightfeather froze.

"The camp was attacked by mountain lions, no cat could stay. We were forced to stay in RavenClan's camp. Weedstorm's been worried out of his mind about you two, pacing back and forth and driving the warriors crazy."

The sisters tensed at the mention of the blue-gray tom, their half-brother. They shared a mother, but Weedstorm's father was a rogue. Their half-brother and his rogue of a father had been the reason that the sisters' parents died. They had been in line with another group of rogues who had killer intents and wished the death of all warriors in the area. Thanks to his rogue father, the sister's parents, Swanbreeze and Smokefoot, were brutally, cold-bloodedly murdered. Of course, Weedstorm was just an apprentice at the time, so he didn't know what his father was planning. His mother was killed too, so the Clan accepted his apology easily. But not the sisters.

They had never really forgiven Weedstorm. Some part of them knew that it wasn't his fault, but hating was something they needed and it was easy when you had some cat to blame. They knew they weren't being fair, though. The mention of Weedstorm's worry made a string of guilt shoot through them. The three remained silent for the rest of the walk.

When they emerged into RavenClan's camp, they were greeted by a throng of relieved LightningClan warriors. Shellfur and Riverflight sported expressions of relief, while Wingsparrow and his mate, Mothshine, exchanged happy words and twined their tails together. They were on very good terms with Spottedflare and Petalstream's parents, so they were like guardians to them. Suddenly, the sisters heard a shout.

"Spottedflare! Petalstream!"

Turning their heads, they spotted Weedstorm pushing his way through the crowd, his green eyes glowing with relief. Finally through, he ran towards the sisters and touched their flanks with his muzzle. They flinched away as if they'd been burned, backing away slightly. Guilt surged through Spottedflare as hurt and sadness clouded Weedstorm's gaze, making him back away slowly, head and tail drooping. Spottedflare watched as the tide of cats swallowed him, eyes following his movements as his blue-tinted pelt disappeared, watched as his pain-filled orbs dissolved in the throng.

A nudge of her shoulder jolted Spottedflare from her trance, and she looked up to see Petalstream pointing at something. The sea of cats parted and four cats strode forward. The first two cats Spottedflare recognized as Stormstar, her own leader, and Kinkstar, the leader of RavenClan. Behind them were the two deputies, Windwing of LightningClan, and Sunwhisker of RavenClan.

Stormstar spoke first. "I'm glad to see you two made it. I was afraid the mountain lions caught you." He took in the fish they each carried. "I see you also brought some fresh-kill. I'm sure we're all grateful for the extra food."

The sisters dipped their heads and carried their fresh-kill towards the fresh-kill pile, setting the fish down beside it, aware that some of the RavenClan cats might be uncomfortable having fish-tainted food.

Hearing pawsteps behind her, Spottedflare turned around to see Nightstorm of RavenClan beckoning to them with her tail.

"Come on," she mewed. "It's almost moon-rise, and you should get some rest."

Thankful for the guidance, the sisters let Nightstorm lead them to a group of makeshift nests on a rock overhang. Curling up in the two nests closest in, they barely had time to thank the RavenClan cat before sleep consumed them.

"What?"

The camp exploded into shrieks and caterwauls as cats turned on each other, snarling.

Kinkstar looked calmly upon her Clan and LightningClan, a smirk etched into her features. She unsheathed her abnormally long claws and brought them to her face, slowly licking one of the sharp blades.

"You heard me. In return for our hospitality, LightningClan will join us in the raid against StoneClan, fighting along side us, helping us to victory."

Stormstar stood up, looking calm, if not slightly shocked by the words. He bounded up to the flat rock, on which Kinkstar was perched, and seated himself next to her, icy blue eyes narrowed and glinting.

"Are you sure this is the wisest thing to do, Kinkstar?" he questioned, mew soft but challenging. She waited a few moments before replying, not even twitching a whisker.

"Of course, Stormstar, my Clan has suffered enough because of those fox-hearts. They took away my parents, wiped out half of my Clan, and took my first mate away from me," she paused to throw Stormstar a look of pure emotion. "You of all cats should understand the pain of having a mate taken away."

Stormstar looked conflicted, blue orbs burning with countless emotions, before sighing deeply. "Alright, you win. We'll help you lead this raid party. Just don't expect to have perfect results."

Kinkstar smiled before pressing her muzzle to Stormstar's flank. "Thanks for understanding."

Stormstar got abruptly to his feet, brushing Kinkstar off. "Stop." He stalked down the path connecting the flat rock overhang to the solid earth. Half-way there, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder, blue eyes full of remorse. "We agreed that we would have nothing to do with each other anymore. Its forbidden." he paused to smile bitterly. "Being mates is no longer an option."

Turning to look at Kinkstar, he walked back up to face her, eyes burning. "Do me a favour, would you?"

Kinkstar nodded mutely.

"Forget that we were ever mates. It can only end badly."

With that, Stormstar turned and vanished down the path again. Kinkstar followed his movements with pain-filled jade eyes, ears flattening with defeat.

Kinkstar shut her eyes as a million memories flooded her senses, blocking out everything else out.

**-FLASHBACK-**

_Stormpelt! Look at me!"_

_ The shout rang out in the clearing as the gray warrior looked up at his companion who was perched high on one of the many branches of the Giant Oak. Her tail swung loosely behind her. _

_ "Get down from there, Kinkfur! You'll fall!"_

_ The mousey she-cat laughed, brushing off her friend's concern. "I'll be fine! We RavenClan cats climb trees everyday!"_

_ Stormpelt looked ruffled. "Doesn't mean you won't fall." he muttered, eyes shining with worry. Kinkfur rolled her clear green eyes before climbing down. "Fine, if it makes you happy." she replied, flicking her companion's ear with her tail-tip._

_ "Thanks, Kinkfur." Stormpelt purred, pressing his pelt to hers. She looked up at him, eyes glowing with love. They sat together in the makeshift nest of leaves and moss under the oak, the moonlight shining through the leaves dappling their pelts._

_ Safe in the warm embrace of each other, the two cats drifting off to sleep._

**-END FLASHBACK-**

_Everything was perfect, _Kinkstar thought, _until those fox-hearts came and ruined everything. _

"Settle down, everyone!"

Stormstar's steady yowl brought her back to her senses. She shook her head, scattering her thoughts. Bounding down the path, she approached to stand by Stormstar's side. The dappled tomcat gave her a nod before turning to face the rest of the cats. Kinkstar narrowed her eyes at her Clan.

"It is true. LightningClan shall join forces with RavenClan to attack StoneClan. We'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget." Her eyes glinted coldly in the morning light and she scraped her claws on the rocky ground.

Yowls of protest once again met her words, but this time, Stormstar raised his tail for silence. His blue eyes betrayed none of his misgivings, and his voice was steady.

"LightningClan owes RavenClan for their hospitality, hence our agreement to assist them. Besides, has StoneClan not done us wrong in the past too?" He narrowed his eyes, tail curling in displeasure.

"Do you not remember that one harsh leaf-bare in which four of our kits were stolen and brutally slaughtered? Then, one of our warriors was killed in a border fight, when it was StoneClan who was trespassing. We have an old grudge to settle."

His words brought a heavy silence over the gathered cats. The LightningClan cats' expressions changed from shock to disgust and cold anger. One or two unsheathed their claws and flexed them, as if sinking them into imaginary StoneClan warriors.

Spottedflare stared in shock at her leader. Attack StoneClan? That was outrageous! Sure, the fox-hearts had done wrong in the past, but they'd been forgiven! Casting a glance at her sister, she could see the tortoiseshell's eyes widen, though they were filled with rage instead of disbelief.

Did her sister think it was right to ambush StoneClan?


End file.
